Not Even Death
by Unlisshed
Summary: A Sorceress and her Knight fight until the end. An ending not fit for fairytales. Rated T for some mild, non-graphic violence.


She didn't know where they came from, only that they didn't stop coming. She didn't know who they were or why they were doing this, only that they held no mercy or remorse.

There was a moment's reprieve, and she used it to try and control her exhaustion. She could hear her Knight's laboured breathing as he took up a defensive position behind her. It has been hours since the first surprise attack, and time was taking it's toll on them. Her Knight, ever strong, was weakening, and only his resolve kept him standing.

But still the endless army advanced, their faces blank with focus, with no agenda other to fulfil their mission: Destroy the Sorceress at all costs.

The Sorceress watched as they got closer, weapons in hand, and spared a glance behind her. She muttered several enchantments under her breath, renewing her Knight's protection.

He didn't say anything, but she could feel his gratitude, along with the ongoing sense of failure and resentment that had become white noise to her over the last several hours. She could hear his bitter thoughts. _I'm not a Knight, I have failed her._ But she would never blame him, not even in the next life.

Because she knew deep down that they would not survive the next onslaught.

Finally the merciless army reached the Sorceress and her Knight, and she fired spell after spell at them, burning, freezing, electrifying, poisoning and ripping apart anyone who came too close. Behind her, she could hear the screams of fury her Knight made as he hacked through his enemies, and their screams as they died.

The duo didn't stop, feeding off each other's frenzied thoughts, anticipating every move and strike the other made, like a bloody, horrific dance.

But the Sorceress and her Knight, no matter how well trained and powerful, were far from invincible. Both were prone to exhaustion and fatigue and that's what brought them down in the end.

The Sorceress misjudged an attack and it cut through her formidable defences. She felt the hot blade as it pierced through her shield and into the soft flesh of her stomach. For a second, she stared down at the weapon in disbelief, her hand grasping the sharp edge where it penetrated her body.

Her attacker didn't even see the Sorceress' hand as it shot out and blasted him apart with a Holy spell.

She ignored the blade slicing into her hand as she wretched it out of her, throwing it aside. She knew it was a mortal wound, no amount of Curaga's was going to heal that. But she was going to go down fighting.

She heard her Knight's continued assault behind her, comforted by the fact that he had not witnessed or felt her failure. Maybe they would leave him alone when she was finally dead.

With a burst of strength, she let her limit overwhelm her. She felt the sharp pain of wings bursting from her back, and she let the mindlessness control her as she rose from the ground.

She may not have control, but she would have power.

She felt energy gather within her as she rose higher, the unmistakable burning of Ultima consuming her. It would devastate the forces attacking them and any approaching, and she felt peace of mind knowing that her Knight would be protected from anything she cast, as was the nature of their bond.

It was a shame, she thought sadly, detached. She loved these fields. It had been a place for discovery for both her and her Knight. The almost endless field of flowers were now splattered with the red of blood and gore, though in a moment, it would all be gone, nothing but a barren land left behind in her forbidden magic's wake.

Her Knight suddenly became aware of his Sorceress' intentions and turned to face her, heedless of any attack. His face twisted in a cry of fury and despair as he took in her wound, the blood flowing freely down her body, down her legs and dripping onto the ground below her.

He was so overcome with shock that he didn't see the attack that severed his spinal cord. He fell to the ground, his legs suddenly useless, but even as he did, his sword hand arced upwards, killing his attacker instantly. The damage was done however.

"No!" The Sorceress was surprised to discover that she gained momentary control over herself and she reached for him, her arm outstretched in a futile attempt to save him.

He reached up for her just as her magic was unleashed, the devastating fury of Ultima destroying everything it encountered within a five hundred meter radius. It left her and her Knight untouched, curling around them, leaving an almost perfect circle of flower field intact around them, but within seconds everything else was ruined and charred, now nothing but an empty wasteland.

Her wings collapsed and she fell to the ground, cushioned by the remaining flowers. She gasped for breath as she felt the life pouring out of her rapidly, making her drowsy, but it was nothing as she realised for the first time the true extent of her Knight's injuries.

Her brave Knight was dying but still reaching for her, his weapon lay forgotten beside him. Blood pooled around him; his own and his enemies'.

She felt within her the last ounce of magic she had and formed it into a Curaga, ready to heal his injury enough for him to survive, while knowing it would not be enough to heal him fully.

He sensed her intentions and used their bond to stop her. "No, don't," he choked out. _I can't... Not without you. _Tears run down her face as she looked into his eyes, understanding. She would have done the same. The thought of living on without him was unbearable.

He knew that this was it, just as she did.

"I love you." Pain was beyond her now and she smiled, hoping that the memory of his face, so beautiful and perfect even streaked with blood, would be the last thing she saw.

A rare look of peacefulness settled in his normally stormy eyes. "And I love you."

She felt his fingers as they enclosed around hers and she grasped them with the last of her strength. Nothing would separate them, not even death.

* * *

**AN: Yeah depressing, I know, but I just could not get it out of my head. This obviously takes place in a much darker FFVIII universe, one with no happily ever afters, though I left names out, so you can take it however you want to. It could just be a random Sorceress/Knight couple, though it could also be R and S. Argh, still can't bring myself to write their names!**


End file.
